Here is an easily adjustable and most importantly reliable version of a timer as an example: Edge-triggered Timing 
The delay can be set by the distance between a button and a cloning machine, so no knowledge about circuits is needed for using them.
Some parts of the circuit are just necessary, if the resulting signal effects the a block directly adjacent to the starting position of Chip or Melinda or another movable object to them, or a monster,... in a level, you can easily remove them to make the mechanism simpler, if not needed...
Triggered by a signal change from low to high or high to low, it will keep a signal for a specified amount of time, without having to worry about a retrigger while the timer is running.
Stepping of a button, to start the timing in some cases as well can feel more natural.
The delay can be set by the distance between a button and a cloning machine, so no knowledge about circuits is needed for using them.
Some parts of the circuit are just necessary, if the resulting signal effects the a block directly adjacent to the starting position of Chip or Melinda or another movable object to them, or a monster,... in a level, you can easily remove them to make the mechanism simpler, if not needed...
Triggered by a signal change from low to high or high to low, it will keep a signal for a specified amount of time, without having to worry about a retrigger while the timer is running.
Stepping of a button, to start the timing in some cases as well can feel more natural.